Page 1 of The Year of Us: June

Cory

It all came about by accident, really. The project I’d been working on in LA had moved into the next phase of development and they wanted me available for a more hands-on approach.

Rather than fly back to New York in between, I decided to rent an apartment in Los Angeles and work from there for the time being.

I was used to working away from my actual assistant so it was no big deal for me to switch my current home base to a different city. The idea of being in closer proximity to Reese had made the most recent flight across the country nearly unbearable.

Reese knew I was coming. He didn’t know that three weeks out of the next four, I’d be here, just a few blocks from his apartment.

It put me a bit out of the way when it came to getting to the site, but the offices weren’t that bad of a commute, even with traffic, and the idea of being so close to Reese was too good to pass up.

The apartment I found was on the top floor and had rooftop access.

It wasn’t as roomy as my place in New York, but it was more than enough space for Reese and me.

There was a bedroom that had a small desk in front of the window.

To my chagrin, it was decorated with millennial gray floors and white walls. White cupboards. White everything.

Oh, well. The assault to my eyeballs was a small price to pay.

Reese wasn’t expecting me to arrive until the next day, a little fib on my part so I could surprise him.

Our schedules were still a bit opposite.

Me working during the day, during the week.

And Reese working nights on the weekends.

But we’d made it work before, and now we’d have weeknights all to ourselves.

I didn’t bother unpacking except for a change of clothes and my toiletries so I could shower the airplane smell off my skin.

I contemplated showing up at the bar, but I’d never surprised a boyfriend before, and I wanted to make sure I got it right.

I decided to lure him here instead. Thankfully, the apartment came fully furnished and I’d paid an extra fee to have them come by and put new linens on the bed and in the bathroom.

The first thing I’d done after sending the deposit for the apartment was to use the internet and explore my soon-to-be neighborhood. I had two very important stops to make before I saw Reese.

The whole time we’d been apart, I wondered if I was doing too much. Would he think I was moving too fast, or smothering him, or going overboard?

In the end, I decided to trust my instincts, and him, and after my two important stops, I knocked on his front door. After a few seconds, it opened and Reese stood there, looking sexy as fuck in his tight, ripped jeans, his tight shirt, and a smirk. A bit of a sassy attitude never hurt either.

“What’s this?” Reese asked as he drew near, but stopped when I produced a bouquet of flowers from behind my back.

“Flowers?” It came out like a question, but then his puzzled expression turned into a bright smile when I revealed my other gift. “And whiskey.”

“And a boyfriend who’s here a day early.”

He leaned in, angling for a kiss, but I knew if we got started here, we’d never make it to the big surprise.

“Get those in water and put the whiskey away. There’s one more surprise.”

Reese did what he was told, his cheeks flushed with a pretty pink hue that made me feel like a million fucking dollars.

“No one’s ever bought me flowers before,” he said, adjusting the way they sat in the glass he’d used as a vase.

“Good. I like the idea of being the best boyfriend you’ve ever had.”

Reese didn’t seem to know what to say to that, but he smiled at me in a way that made me believe I was.

“Where’s this other surprise?” he asked, scooping his keys up off the counter and tucking them into his pocket.”

“It’s not far,” I told him, linking our hands together.

I’d never imagined what it would be like to walk around with a boyfriend. With a man on my arm out in the daylight. I’ll admit that the first half a block unnerved me, but when I realized that no one seemed to notice, it made it easy to relax.

Reese didn’t comment until we were off the street, up the elevator, and I was unlocking the front door of my apartment.

“Cory,” he breathed, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. “Where are we?”

“Right, sorry.” I laughed and then tugged him out of the hallway and into the apartment.

There was a small closet to the right and a galley kitchen to the left.

“This is my home base for the next few weeks. The LA project has shifted into the next phase, and they want me on site. I could’ve stayed in a hotel, but I wanted somewhere that felt a little more private. ”

“You—” Reese looked at me like he didn’t understand everything I’d just said. And then he looked around at the apartment, and then back at me. “For how long?”

“I have another consult in Denver in a few weeks that I’ll have to fly out for. But I’m here for the next three weeks.”

Reese grabbed me and spun me. He pressed my back against the wall and devoured me. His kiss was deep and rich, and his hands cradled my face momentarily before sliding down my body until they came to rest on my hips.

I wasn’t as reserved. I’d been starving for his touch.

His taste. The feel of his asscheeks. I reached around and gripped his ass in both hands.

Pulling him against me, I let myself enjoy the friction of his body against mine.

Truthfully, I could’ve been happy with a frot next to my front door.

But something in the atmosphere shifted and I found my hands roaming upward.

Up the expanse of his back and then into his hair.

“Reese.” I kissed his lips. The corner of his mouth. His cheek. His jaw. I tilted his face down and let my lips ghost against his ear. “Reese. My good boy. My best boy. Will you kneel for me?”

I kissed him again, hope soft on my lips and waited for his answer.